Battle of Bonneville
The Battle of Bonneville is the informal name given to an SGFA League A football match between Bonneville United and FC Chapman at United's Ford Stadium on December 15, 2012. The match featured violent conduct which culminated in a brawl early in the second half, prompting referee Mark Dobbins to send off two players and book four others. Background :See also: 2012-13 SGFA season The match was played in the 11th round of the 2012-13 season and it was the first meeting of the season between the two clubs. Bonneville United were defending League A champions and had also won the SGFA Shield in September of that year. Less than a month before the start of the season, striker Kane O'Bray had signed with Chapman after leaving United in the summer, where he had spent 12 seasons. Many United fans were angry, believing O'Bray had turned his back on his hometown club in order to sign with their arch-rivals. It would also be the final visit to Ford Stadium for Chapman players Ben Berthelsen and Jarrod Shannon, who retired at the end of the season after long careers with the club. The match Pregame The match was played at 8pm local time and was the featured match of the round on Cable Millennium's SGFA Matchday. Prior to the match, O'Bray was booed loudly by United fans as the Chapman lineup was read out over the stadium's public address. The jeering continued after the opening kick-off, each time O'Bray touched the ball. Debris from the stands In the 27th minute, O'Bray had a goal disallowed for offside after tapping in a low cross from Shannon. Several fans threw debris, including crumpled match programs and beverage cups, onto the field in the direction of O'Bray, causing referee Dobbins to halt the game momentarily. O'Bray retrieved the ball from the back of the net, bumping into United goalkeeper Thomas Leichmann in the process, who yelled back at his former teammate. Second-half melee Both sides had played a physical game in the first half with several tough tackles, but it boiled over in the 51st minute when Chapman's Chris Handon made a late challenge on United captain Caleb Chambers. Immediately, United's Sébastien Janvier rushed over and shoved Handon to the ground as he was getting up from the tackle. A melee ensued, during which Chapman defender Adrián Sierra was pushed backwards by Janvier and threw a retaliatory punch, hitting Janvier in the side of the head. Dobbins, who had immediately intervened, issued Sierra a red card. The team captains, Chambers of United and Jason Beverley of Chapman, were aside from the melee arguing and pushing with one another. As Dobbins and his assistants broke up the melee, United's Greg Holloway attempted to push aside a Chapman player, Oleg Mihaylov, in order to speak with Dobbins. Mihaylov lost his balance and fell into Dobbins, causing both men to fall over. Dobbins, not realizing this, also issued a red card to Holloway. In addition to Sierra and Holloway's red cards, Dobbins gave yellow cards to five players: Janvier and Chambers from United, and Beverley, Mihaylov and Handon (for the original tackle) from Chapman. Aftermath The match finished 0-0 with neither side recording a shot on target for the rest of the match. O'Bray was substituted in the 70th minute – leaving the field to more boos from the United fans – and replaced by Jarrod Shannon. He later told reporters: "I know why they United fans were mad. They hurt. It was like a long relationship, and after that relationship is over and they move on to someone else, it's hard to see that. I get it." United successfully appealed the red card to Holloway; it was rescinded by the SGFA on December 18. The return leg at Cable Millennium Stadium on April 6, 2014, was a much more civil affair, but again neither side could find a winner in a 1-1 draw. Ultimately, after a match that was billed in preseason as a potential championship decider, neither side won the League A title that season; United and Chapman would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively, behind first-time champions, Rivergate. Category:Match pages Category:Bonneville United F.C. matches Category:FC Chapman matches